Is this Volvo's all-new V40 five-door hatch? Published in French magazine L'Automobile, these two images could offer the first undisguised look at the Swedish carmaker's new small car.

As predicted, the V40 shown here carries an evolution of Volvo's current styling language, drawing its inspiration from the larger V60 wagon and the XC60 SUV before it.

If unaltered, the image of the hatch's front-end reveals a sleek and streamlined new take on the Volvo look, with a pointed nose, a sleek bumper design and headlights that reach up into the front quarter panels.

Whether the images are 'the real McCoy' remains to be seen, but with the car's official Geneva Motor Show unveiling now only a few weeks away, all will be known soon enough.